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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. In "Chapter Twenty-Four: Cortisol, Telomeres, and the Lethality of Caste," how many years does Wilkerson say separate the average life expectancy of White college graduates from that of Black college graduates?

2. In "Chapter Twenty-Six: Turning Point and the Resurgence of Caste," what does Wilkerson say caused analysts to be taken by surprise by Trump's victory?

3. In "Chapter Twenty-Five: A Change in the Script," what error of John McCain's does Wilkerson say contributed to Obama's victory?

4. In "Chapter Twenty-Three: Shock Troops on the Borders of Hierarchy," Wilkerson explains a complicated "solution" to a problem presented by free Black passengers on steamboats of the nineeenth century. What was this problem?

5. In "Chapter Fourteen: The Intrusion of Caste in Everyday Life," what does Wilkerson compare to the modern phenomenon of whites calling the police on Blacks who are just going about ordinary everyday business?

Short Essay Questions

1. According to Wilkerson, in "Chapter Twenty-Five: A Change in the Script," what impact has the census prediction for 2042 had on Whites in America?

2. In "Chapter Twenty-Six: Turning Point and the Resurgence of Caste," what does Wilkerson say about understanding the voting of lower-class whites?

3. In "Chapter Fifteen: The Urgent Necessity of a Bottom Rung," what historical discussion of the French treatment of Black American soldiers does Wilkerson relate?

4. What principle is Wilkerson trying to illustrate with her personal anecdotes about flying first class in "Chapter Twenty-Three: Shock Troops on the Borders of Hierarchy"?

5. How does Wilkerson explain the greater scrutiny America focuses on Democrats in "Chapter Twenty-Six: Turning Point and the Resurgence of Caste"?

6. Explain what Wilkerson finds particularly abhorrent about the film clip of Hitler that she describes in "Chapter Nineteen: The Euphoria of Hate."

7. In "Chapter Twenty-Six: Turning Point and the Resurgence of Caste," whom does Wilkerson call the most loyal voters of the Republican Party, and how does the party treat them, according to her?

8. In"Chapter Twenty: The Inevitable Narcissism of Caste," to what does Wilkerson compare the American habit of asking where people's families are from, and why?

9. What is Wilkerson's purpose in telling the story of Devonte Hart in "Chapter Twenty-Two: The Stockholm Syndrome and the Survival of the Subordinate Caste"?

10. In "Chapter Sixteen: Last Place Anxiety: Packed in a Flooding Basement," what is the "crabs in a barrel" phenomenon Wilkerson discusses, and what additional way to look at the same situation does she propose?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay in which you apply Wilkerson's discussion of racism from "The R Word" to a current issue in American society. You are not being asked to apply her definition to racism in general, but to a specific event or controversy. Show how her definition is either helpful or not helpful in understanding the current issue you have chosen. Offer textual evidence for your claims, and be sure to cite all sources in MLA format.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay in which you use argument by analogy to make your case. You may write on any topic you choose, as long as you create a tenable thesis. Be sure to cite any sources in MLA format.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay that makes and defends a claim related to "status threat" as Wilkerson explains it in "Chapter Eleven: Dominant Group Status Threat and the Precarity of the Highest Rung." Be sure to cite all sources in MLA format.

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